Underpaid, overworked and ignored

Substitute teachers stand to lose livelihood as a result of policy change. Hu Yongqi in Anhui and Peng Yining in Chongqing report.

Xiang Zhixiang was diagnosed with infantile paralysis in his right leg when he was a year old and has needed crutches to walk for as long as he can remember. His condition has severely impacted his life, job opportunities and marriage prospects.

Yet his disability did not stop him becoming a vital crutch that has help prop up China's rural education system for two decades.